The US and Turkey are playing chess, but only the pawns are in play right now

Turkish President Erdogan attends a meeting with his Russian counterpart Putin in Moscow Thomson Reuters

Two things happened in Syria recently that went under the radar.

First, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) claimed to have ousted Islamic State (IS) fighters from the last IS-controlled districts in Tabqa. This is a town 25 miles west of the IS's de facto capital, Raqqa. According to the Syrian Kurdish Hawar News Agency, IS fighters are now besieged at the Tabqa Dam outside the town.

Meanwhile, IS staged attacks in al-Shaddadi, roughly 125 miles east of Tabqa.

After US President Donald Trump took office, he asked Defense Secretary James Mattis for a plan to defeat IS within 30 days. Mattis presented a preliminary plan in February. So far, though, no details have been released.

We can surmise that Mattis told Trump something along these lines: The US has bigger problems than IS, and the military has been fighting in the Muslim world for 16 years. Equipment needs maintenance. Troops need reinforcements. Weapons need modernization. These changes cannot be made in 30 days.

The struggle to defeat IS was a major topic of conversation during Trump's phone call to congratulate Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on his victory in last month's referendum.

The US wants Turkey to take the lead in destroying IS in Raqqa. Erdoğan has signaled that Turkey would be willing to work with a coalition of US and Russian forces to achieve this goal.

Turkey Wants Concessions from the US

But Erdoğan says that the Syrian Kurds (who make up the majority of SDF fighters) must be excluded. Thus far, the US has not given in. The US pointed out that the SDF is bearing the brunt of the fight with IS.

Erdoğan will visit the US in two weeks. The disconnect between US and Turkish interests will be a hot topic when he and Trump meet.

Trump praised Kurdish fighters while he was on the campaign trail. But now he will face the same conundrum President Barack Obama encountered.

Erdoğan does not want to go into the heart of the Syrian Desert to fight IS any more than the US does. Turkey has dipped its toes into the fighting in Syria but marching to Raqqa is a great deal more challenging.

Turkey is using its strategic position and the reputation of its military to try to exact concessions from the US and to manage its relationship with Russia. The great powers are playing chess. But only the pawns are in play right now.

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